Well I’m pleased to say that Highbury will stage a further evening game – and there’s something special about the old stadium all lit up for night matches. For all that, the sheer drama of the goalless draw versus Real Madrid would made for a fitting farewell to such nights at Arsenal’s home of the last 93 years. Rarely can a 0-0 match been so thrilling. To quote now absent friends (at least as far as the Champions League in concerned), as Jose Mourinho would have said, in the end it was all down to the details. Little things that either go your way or don’t in a tight encounter. Real could have just as easily won this tie 1-0. Or it could have been 6-5 on aggregate to either side. Ultimately, through these biased eyes, I reckon the Gunners did shade it. Partially this was down to sheer desire.

That is something Real Madrid don’t have much of these days as their team spirit has pretty much disappeared with the Galacticos policy and the gradual marginalization of the younger players brought through the ranks. This phenomenon was highlighted by Steve McManaman as he left the club at the same time that David Beckham arrived in 2003. The squad were dragged on a tour of the far east with little consideration for the welfare of the players and a focus on the big stars, creating ill feeling on those not considered worthy of the huge promotion enjoyed by Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Raul.

So although on one level the elimination of Real is a great achievement for a young Arsenal side, in all honesty, Arsenal were given the room to play and create a good number of chances. In their next tie, they will not be able to afford the wasteful profligacy in front of goal that they demonstrated over the two games v Real. People are starting to believe the Gunners can replicate Liverpool’s achievement of last season and win the trophy at the same time as suffering a disappointing domestic campaign. I admire their optimism, but Liverpool got to the final as a result of defensive solidity. That’s something Arsenal really don’t have these days and will eventually be punished for.

The funny thing is, as I genuinely believe the Gunners simply aren’t good enough to win this competition at the moment, I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s game without feeling any hint of tension. In contrast to 99% of the home fans I’ll grant you, but it’s amazing how much you can enjoy a game of football when you just refuse to get worked up about it. It was pleasurable entertainment as opposed to torture, with no small thanks to the visitors’ approach to the game and the referee’s willingness to let more tackles go than the average continental ref.

I don’t doubt Real will be a different propostion next season once a lot of the deadwood has been cleared out over the summer. It’s time for them to re-build, a process Arsenal have already begun. There’s still a long way to go, but the signs are encouraging, and there is hope for the future. A May evening in Paris is a little soon though!